Health applications of a double helix conductor

ABSTRACT

An electrical system having an underlying structure resembling the double helix most commonly associated with DNA is used to produce useful electromagnetic fields for health applications and/or medical applications.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.61/633,593, entitled “Health Applications Of A Double Helix Conductor,”and filed Feb. 13, 2012. This application is related to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/213,604, entitled “Double Helix Conductor,” andfiled Aug. 19, 2011, as well as U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/457,347, entitled “System Configuration Using A Double HelixConductor,” and filed Apr. 26, 2012. These applications are herebyincorporated by reference into the present application in theirentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to bodies structured as helically wound runnersaround which one or more conductive wires may be wound, electricaldevices and/or systems configured to include such bodies, and thehealth/medical applications thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known that spirally wound electrical conductors exhibit certainelectromagnetic properties and/or can be used to generate particularelectromagnetic fields. For example, it is known that an electromagneticcoil may act as an inductor and/or part of a transformer, and has manyestablished useful applications in electrical circuits. Applications ofan electromagnetic coil may exploit the electromagnetic field that iscreated when, e.g., an active current source is operatively coupled tothe coil.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the invention relates to a system for providing therapy toa subject and/or promoting health effects in a subject. The systemincludes a body, and one or more conductive wires. The body includes twointertwined helically wound runners arranged in at least two completerevolutions per runner. The body is arranged in a toroidal shape havinga centroid. The centroid is arranged at or near one or both of a subjectand/or a body part of the subject. The first wire is wound spirallyaround the first runner. The first wire is conductive. Two leads of thefirst wire are configured to be electrically coupled with a currentsource to receive a first current through the first wire along the firstrunner such that an electromagnetic field is created at or near thecentroid that provides therapy to the subject.

One aspect of the invention relates to a system for providing therapy toa subject and/or promoting health effects in a subject. The systemincludes a body, a first wire, a second wire, two leads of the firstwire, two leads of the second wire, and one or more resistive elements.The body includes two intertwined helically wound runners arranged in atleast two complete revolutions per runner. The body is arranged in atoroidal shape having a centroid. The centroid is arranged at or nearone or both of a subject and/or a body part of the subject. The firstwire is carried by the first runner. The first wire is conductive. Thefirst wire is spirally wound around the first runner to form a bifilarcoil around the first runner. The second wire is carried by the secondrunner. The second wire is conductive. The second wire is spirally woundaround the second runner to form a second bifilar coil around the secondrunner. The two leads of the first wire are configured to beelectrically coupled to a current source to receive a first currentthrough the first wire such that an electromagnetic field is created ator near the centroid. The electromagnetic field provides therapy to thesubject. The two leads of the second wire are configured to beelectrically coupled to the current source to receive a second currentthrough the second wire such that the electromagnetic field is modified.The one or more resistive elements are electrically coupled to one orboth of the first wire and/or the second wire such that a nominalimpedance of the first wire, the second wire, and the one or moreresistive elements has a predetermined value that substantially matchesan impedance of the current source.

One aspect of the invention relates to a system for providing therapy toa subject and/or promoting health effects in a subject. The systemincludes a body, a first wire, one or more processors, a sound inputmodule, and a playback module. The body includes two intertwinedhelically wound runners arranged in at least two complete revolutionsper runner. The body is arranged in a toroidal shape having a centroid.The centroid is arranged at or near one or both of a subject and/or abody part of the subject. The first wire is carried by the first runner.The first wire is conductive. The first wire is spirally wound aroundthe first runner. The first wire includes two leads configured to beelectrically coupled to a current source to receive a first currentthrough the first wire such that an electromagnetic field is created ator near the centroid of the toroidal shape of the body. Theelectromagnetic field provides therapy to the subject. The one or moreprocessors are configured to execute computer program modules. Thecomputer program modules include the sound input module and the playbackmodule. The sound input module is configured to obtain soundinformation. The playback module is configured to produce sound signalsbased on the obtained sound information. The sound signals produced bythe playback module are electrically coupled to the two leads of thefirst wire such that the first current corresponds to the sound signals.

One aspect of the invention relates to a method for providing therapy toa subject and/or promoting health effects in a subject. The methodincludes arranging a body at or near one or both of the subject and/or abody part of the subject. The body includes at least two intertwinedhelically wound runners arranged in at least two complete revolutionsper runner. The body is arranged in a toroidal shape having a centroid.The body further includes a first wire carried by a first runner. Thefirst wire is spirally wound around the first runner. The first wire isconductive. The first wire includes two leads configured to beelectrically coupled to a current source to receive a first currentthrough the first wire. The method further includes supplying the firstcurrent to the two leads of the first wire such that an electromagneticfield is created at or near the centroid. The electromagnetic fieldprovides therapy to the subject.

These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the presentdisclosure, as well as the methods of operation and functions of therelated components of structure and the combination of parts andeconomies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon considerationof the following description and the appended claims with reference tothe accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of thisspecification, wherein like reference numerals designate correspondingparts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however,that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and descriptiononly and are not intended as a definition of the any limits. As used inthe specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and“the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system for providing therapy to asubject and/or promoting health effects in a subject, according to oneor more embodiments.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a system for providing therapy to asubject and/or promoting health effects in a subject, according to oneor more embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for providing therapy to a subject and/orpromoting health effects in a subject, according to one or moreembodiments.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a system for providing therapy to asubject and/or promoting health effects in a subject, according to oneor more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 for providing therapy to a subject 106and/or promoting health effects in subject 106, according to one or moreembodiments. The therapy and/or health effects may include, but are notlimited to, one or more of pain relief, relief of discomfort, reductionof inflammation, improved range of motion, hair growth, tissue repair,regenerative effects, improved circulation, improved micro-circulation,and/or other types of therapy and/or health effects on living organisms.System 10 may include a body 85, a first wire 86, a current source 11,and/or other components. The depiction of the size of subject 106relative to the size of body 85 is not meant to be limiting.

Body 85 of system 10 in FIG. 1 includes two intertwined helically woundrunners—runner 88 and runner 89—sharing the same (circular) axis,coupled by struts 90 and having one or more conductive wires spirallywound around one or both runners. In other words, runner 88 and runner89 of body 85 form cores around which wire 86 and wire 87 are spirallywound, respectively. As depicted in FIG. 1, body 85 includes two wires:wire 86 and wire 87. In some embodiments, system 10 includes one runner,three runners, and/or another number of runners.

Runner 88 and runner 89 of body 85 and system 10 in FIG. 1 are arrangedin the shape of a three-dimensional curve similar to or substantiallythe same as a helix, bend with its ends arranged together. It is notedthat the shape of body 85 resembles the general shape of DNA. The shapeof the cross-section of a runner may include one or more of a circle, anoval, a square, a triangle, a rectangle, an angular shape, a polygon,and/or other shapes. The width and height of the cross-section of arunner may be limited for practical purposes. For example, for thepurposes described herein, in some embodiments, it may be preferredarrange body 85 such that there is available space within the peripheryof body 85, as shown, e.g., in FIG. 1. As depicted in FIG. 1, the shapeof the cross-section of runner 88 and runner 89 may be a circle. Notethat embodiments of this disclosure are not intended to be limited byany of the given examples.

Runner 88, runner 89 and/or struts 90 of system 10 in FIG. 1 may bemanufactured from one or more of plastic, plastic plated with metalsincluding copper, nickel, iron, soft iron, nickel alloys, and/or othermetals and alloys, and/or other materials. In some embodiments, runner88, runner 89 and struts 90 are manufactured from non-conductivematerial. Runner 88, runner 89, and struts 90 may be manufactured fromdifferent materials. Runner 88, runner 89, and struts 90 may bemanufactured through integral construction or formed separately prior tobeing assembled. The preceding statement is not intended to limit the(process of) manufacture of bodies similar to or substantially the sameas body 85 in any way.

Referring to FIG. 1, wire 86 and wire 87, as any wire listed in anyfigure included in this description, may be insulated, uninsulated, orpartially insulated and partially uninsulated.

The shape of body 85 of system 10 in FIG. 1 may be generally toroidal.In some embodiments, the body of system 10 may be arranged in any planarshape, including circular, polygonal, and/or other shapes.Alternatively, and/or simultaneously, a body such as body 85 may bearranged in a three-dimensional curve (a.k.a. space curve). Runner 88and runner 89 of body 85 may form cores around which wire 86 and wire 87are spirally wound, respectively. As such, wire 86 and wire 87 may bearranged in a helical shape having axes that coincide with runner 88 andrunner 89, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, wire 86 and 87 may be woundsuch that they go around any of struts 90 of body 85 and/or around anypoints of engagement between one of struts 90 and one of runners 88 and89. The number of wire turns per complete revolution of a runner and/orthe number of wire turns between adjacent struts may be characteristicmeasurements/features of body 85. In FIG. 1, wire 86 and wire 87 arearranged to make approximately three to five turns between adjacentstruts associated with runner 88 and runner 89, respectively, and/orsome other number of turns. The depiction of FIG. 1 is intended to beexemplary, and in no way limiting.

Wire 86 may include two leads—lead 86 a and lead 86 b. Wire 87 mayinclude two leads—lead 87 a and lead 87 b. In system 10, body 85 iselectrically coupled with one or more power sources and/or currentsources, such as, e.g., current source 11 and/or a current source 12,arranged such that electrical coupling with one or both of wire 86 andwire 87 may be established, e.g. through coupling of current source 11with lead 86 a and 86 b of wire 86 and through coupling of currentsource 12 with lead 87 a and 87 b of wire 87. The current supplied towire 86 may be a direct current or an alternating current. The currentsupplied to wire 87 may be a direct current or an alternating current.The currents supplied to wire 86 and wire 87 may flow in the samedirection or the opposite direction. In some embodiments, the leads ofwire 86 and wire 87 may be electrically coupled with the same currentsource.

For alternating currents, operating frequencies ranging from 0 Hz to 100GHz are contemplated. Operating currents ranging from 1 pA to 10 A arecontemplated. Operating voltages ranging from 1 mV to 20 kV arecontemplated. In some embodiments, a root mean square voltage of lessthan about 1.6 V is supplied to wire 86 and/or wire 87. In someembodiments, a root mean square voltage of greater than about 0.25 V issupplied to wire 86 and/or wire 87. In a preferred embodiment, thefrequency of the alternating current supplied to wire 86 and/or wire 87is between 0 Hz and 20 kHz. In some embodiments, the current is lessthan about 1 pA, 1 nA, 1 mA, 100 mA, 250 mA, 500 mA, and/or otheramounts of current. The operating frequencies for wire 86 and wire 87may be the same or different. Other electrical operating characteristicsof current supplied to wire 86 and wire 87, such as phase, may be thesame or different. System 10 may be used to exploit the electromagneticfield that is created in and/or around body 85 when electrical power issupplied to one or more wires of body 85. The electromagnetic fieldprovides therapy to subject 106 and/or promotes health effects in asubject.

For the purposes of this description, the electromagnetic field may bean electromagnetic field of at least a predetermined threshold level oftesla. The predetermined threshold may be 1 pT, 1 nT, 1 mT, 10 mT, 100mT, and/or another threshold.

Some embodiments of an electrical system including a body similar to orsubstantially the same as body 85 in FIG. 1, thus including wire 86 andwire 87, may be configured to have a current in wire 86 flowing in theopposite direction as the current in wire 87. In some embodiments thecurrent supplied to one wire may be a direct current, whereas thecurrent supplied to another wire may be an alternating current. By wayof non-limiting example, additional structures for a body and/orelectrical systems using a body may be described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/457,347, filed Apr. 26, 2012, and titled “SystemConfiguration Using A Double Helix Conductor,” which is herebyincorporated into this disclosure by reference in its entirety. Thispatent application may also be referred to as “the '347 application”herein.

Some embodiments of an electrical system including a body similar to orsubstantially the same as body 85 may be configured to include one ormore conductive wires that are wound to form a bifilar coil around oneor more runners. In some embodiments, the windings may be one or more ofcaduceus windings, Ayrton-Perry winding, trifilar windings, windings ofbraided wires, and/or other types of windings. By way of non-limitingexample, additional windings may be described in the '347 application.

In some embodiments, system 10 may include multiple bodies similar to orsubstantially the same as body 85. Currents for these multiple bodiesmay be supplied by one or more power sources and/or current sources.

In some embodiments, body 85 may be configured such that the dimensionsof the available space within the periphery of body 85 and/or thepassage formed through the centroid of the shape of body 85 arepredetermined dimensions. In some embodiments, a predetermined dimensionmay include a diameter of about 1 inch, about 1 foot, about 2 feet,about 4 feet, about 6 feet, and/or another suitable dimension. Suitabledimensions may depend on average sizes of human fingers, wrists, elbows,arms, ankles, knees, legs, shoulders, (lower) backs, torsos, bodies,and/or other body parts, as may be used as an area to receive treatmentand/or therapy.

In some embodiments, lead 86 a and 86 b of wire 86 and lead 87 a and 87b of wire 87 are electrically coupled in the same circuit. This circuitmay include, for example, one or more resistive components, such asresistors, that are arranged such that the circuit has a nominalimpedance of a predetermined value, such as, e.g., 4 ohms, 8 ohms, 16ohms, 32 ohms, 100 ohms, 600 ohms, and/or another predetermined value.In some embodiments, the predetermined value may be chosen to match theimpedance of standard consumer electronics components and/or systems,including for example audio consumer electronics. These examples are notintended to be limiting in any way. By way of non-limiting example,additional information regarding resistive elements and/or impedancematching may be described in the '347 application.

By way of illustration, FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a system 10 afor providing therapy to a subject and/or promoting health effects in asubject. System 10 a may include one or more of body 85, processor 110,user interface 120, electronic storage 130, and/or other components.Body 85 in FIG. 2 may be similar to or substantially the same as body 85in FIG. 1, described above. Specifically, body 85 in FIG. 2 may includeany of the features, functions, and/or structures described herein inrelation to body 85 of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the one or morewires of body 85 are configured to receive current through the leads ofthe wires such that an electromagnetic field is created at or near thecentroid of the toroidal shape of body 85. The electromagnetic fieldprovides therapy to subject 106 and/or promotes health effects insubject 106.

Processor 110 of system 10 a in FIG. 2 is configured to provideinformation processing capabilities in system 10 a. As such, processor110 includes one or more of a digital processor, an analog processor, adigital circuit designed to process information, a central processingunit, a graphics processing unit, an analog circuit designed to processinformation, a state machine, and/or other mechanisms for electronicallyprocessing information. Although processor 110 is shown in FIG. 2 as asingle entity, this is for illustrative purposes only. In someembodiments, processor 110 may include a plurality of processing units.

As is shown in FIG. 2, processor 110 is configured to execute one ormore computer program modules. The one or more computer program modulesinclude one or more of a sound input module 111, a playback module 112,and/or other modules. Processor 110 may be configured to execute modules111-112 by software; hardware; firmware; some combination of software,hardware, and/or firmware; and/or other mechanisms for configuringprocessing capabilities on processor 110.

It should be appreciated that although modules 111-112 are illustratedin FIG. 2 as being co-located within a single processing unit, inembodiments in which processor 110 includes multiple processing units,one or more of modules 111-112 may be located remotely from the othermodules. The description of the functionality provided by the differentmodules 111-112 described herein is for illustrative purposes, and isnot intended to be limiting, as any of modules 111-112 may provide moreor less functionality than is described. For example, one or more ofmodules 111-112 may be eliminated, and some or all of its functionalitymay be incorporated, shared, integrated into, and/or otherwise providedby other ones of modules 111-112. Note that processor 110 may beconfigured to execute one or more additional modules that may performsome or all of the functionality attributed below to one of modules111-112.

Sound input module 111 may be configured to obtain sound information. Insome embodiments, the sound information may be obtained through amicrophone or other acoustic-to-electric transducer and/or sensor. Insome embodiments, the sound information may be obtained from storage,e.g. from electronic storage. Sound information obtained from storagemay include electronic audio files in any format, including but notlimited to MP3, WMA, WAV, AIFF, and/or other audio formats. Audioformats may be uncompressed, have lossless compression, and/or lossycompression. Sound information may be obtained from traditional soundsources including phonographs, CD-players, DVD players, AM radio, FMradio, and/or other sound sources. Electronic storage may be local tosystem 10 a and/or be accessible from a remote location through anetwork connection, such as e.g. the internet.

Playback module 112 may be configured to produce sound signals based onthe obtained sound information. The sound signals produced by playbackmodule 112 may be analog and/or digital signals. The sound signalsproduced by playback module 112 may be electric, optical, and/or usingother media. The sound signals produced by playback module 112 may beaccessible through one or more signal connectors, including but notlimiting to line out connectors, tip-ring-sleeve (TRS) connectors,tip-ring-ring-sleeve (TRRS) connectors, TOSLINK connectors, S/PDIFconnectors, FireWire™ connectors, HDMI connectors, DVI connectors, USBconnectors, and/or other connectors capable of transferring an audiosignal. The sound signals produced by playback module 112 may beelectrically coupled to the leads of the one or more conductive wires ofbody 85 (depicted in FIG. 2) such that current through the one or moreconductive wires of body 85 corresponds to the produced sound signals.

In some embodiments, the sound signals produced by playback module 112may be amplified by an amplifier before being electrically coupled tothe leads of the one or more conductive wires of body 85. In somepreferred embodiments, the amplifier may be an audio amplifier rangingbetween 100 W and 400 W. Other types of amplifiers and/or amplifiershaving a different power range are also contemplated.

In some embodiments, the sound information obtained by sound inputmodule 111 may include and/or correspond to sounds that aretraditionally used in sound therapy and/or sound healing. For example,sound signals having one or more specific frequencies, waveforms,waveshapes, and/or amplitudes may have regenerative effects and/or otherhealth effects. In some embodiments, the sounds may include human voicesproducing one or more of the following sounds: “Om,” “Uh,” “Ooo,”, “Oh,”“Ah,” “Eye,” “Aye,” “Eee,” and/or other sounds and/or phrases. In someembodiments, playback module 112 may be configured to loop and/or repeatparticular sound information, e.g. a particular track on a CD or aparticular MP3 file, for a predetermined amount of time, indefinitely,and/or as instructed by subject 106 and/or user 108.

Electronic storage 130 of system 10 a in FIG. 2 comprises electronicstorage media that electronically stores information. The electronicstorage media of electronic storage 130 may include one or both ofsystem storage that is provided integrally (i.e., substantiallynon-removable) with system 10 a and/or removable storage that isremovably connectable to system 10 a via, for example, a port (e.g., aUSB port, a Firewire port, etc.) or a drive (e.g., a disk drive, etc.).Electronic storage 130 may include one or more of optically readablestorage media (e.g., optical disks, etc.), magnetically readable storagemedia (e.g., magnetic tape, magnetic hard drive, floppy drive, etc.),electrical charge-based storage media (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, RAM, etc.),solid-state storage media (e.g., flash drive, etc.), and/or otherelectronically readable storage media. Electronic storage 130 may storesoftware algorithms, information determined by processor 110,information received via user interface 120, and/or other informationthat enables system 10 a to function properly. For example, electronicstorage 130 may store sound information and/or electronic audio files(as discussed elsewhere herein), and/or other information. Electronicstorage 130 may be a separate component within system 10 a, orelectronic storage 130 may be provided integrally with one or more othercomponents of system 10 a (e.g., processor 110).

User interface 120 of system 10 a in FIG. 2 is configured to provide aninterface between system 10 a and a user (e.g., user 108, subject 106, acaregiver, a therapy decision-maker, etc.) through which the user canprovide information to and receive information from system 10 a. Thisenables data, results, and/or instructions and any other communicableitems, collectively referred to as “information,” to be communicatedbetween the user and system 10 a. An example of information that may beconveyed to user 108 is an indication of the volume and/or intensity ofthe sound signals produced by playback module 112. Examples of interfacedevices suitable for inclusion in user interface 120 include a keypad,buttons, switches, a keyboard, knobs, levers, a display screen, a touchscreen, speakers, a microphone, an indicator light, an audible alarm,and a printer. Information may be provided to user 108 or subject 106 byuser interface 120 in the form of auditory signals, visual signals,tactile signals, and/or other sensory signals.

It is to be understood that other communication techniques, eitherhard-wired or wireless, are also contemplated herein as user interface120. For example, in one embodiment, user interface 120 may beintegrated with a removable storage interface provided by electronicstorage 130. In this example, information is loaded into system 10 afrom removable storage (e.g., a smart card, a flash drive, a removabledisk, etc.) that enables the user(s) to customize system 10 a. Otherexemplary input devices and techniques adapted for use with system 10 aas user interface 120 include, but are not limited to, an RS-232 port,RF link, an IR link, modem (telephone, cable, Ethernet, internet orother). In short, any technique for communicating information withsystem 10 a is contemplated as user interface 120.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a system 10 b for providing therapy tosubject 106 and/or promoting health effects in subject 106. System 10 bmay include one or more of body 85, support structure 85 b, one or moresupporting posts 42, support structure 44, one or more raisingmechanisms 43, and/or other components. Body 85 in FIG. 4 may be similarto or substantially the same as body 85 in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, describedabove. Specifically, body 85 in FIG. 4 may include any of the features,functions, and/or structures described herein in relation to body 85 ofFIG. 1 or FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 4, the one or more wires of body 85are configured to receive current through the leads of the wires suchthat an electromagnetic field is created at or near the centroid of thetoroidal shape of body 85. The electromagnetic field provides therapy tosubject 106 and/or promotes health effects in subject 106.

Support structure 44 may be configured to support one or more of subject106, supporting posts 42, body 85, and/or other components of system 10b. In some embodiments, support structure 44 may include a platformand/or base.

Support structure 85 a may be configured to support body 85. Supportstructure 85 may be configured to mechanically couple to one or more ofsupport posts 42, raising mechanism 43, and/or support structure 44. Insome embodiments, support structure 85 a may include a shelf and/ortray. Support structure 85 a may include an open area in the center thatcoincides with a passage formed through body 85 such that supportstructure 85 a and body 85 may be moved relative to the position ofsubject 106 within and/or inside that passage. In other words, body 85may be disposed around subject 106 and/or move up and down to coverdifferent body parts of subject 106. For example, the movement ofsupport structure 85 a and body 85 may be substantially vertical, asdepicted in FIG. 4. Note that this example is not intended to belimiting. Embodiments in which subject 106 is placed in a substantiallyhorizontal position are also contemplated. In such a case, the positionof other components, which may include body 85, support structure 85 a,supporting posts 42, and/or other components, may be adjustedaccordingly.

Supporting posts 42 may be configured to support one or more of body 85,supporting body 85 a, raising mechanism 43, and/or other components ofsystem 10 b. The depiction of two supporting posts 42 in FIG. 4 is notintended to be limiting.

Raising mechanism 43 may be configured to move body 85 and/or supportstructure 85 a in a predetermined manner or path. For example, thepredetermined path may be up and down, as depicted in FIG. 4 andindicated by the arrows near raising mechanism 43. The depiction of tworaising mechanisms 43 in FIG. 4 is not intended to be limiting. In someembodiments, raising mechanism 43 may include an electric motor and/orlift.

Control of one or more raising mechanisms 43 during operation of system10 b may include one or more of a determination of a starting positionrelative to subject 106 and/or supporting structure 44, a determinationof a direction for the movement of body 85 and/or support body 85 arelative to the orientation and position of system 10 b, a determinationof the speed of the movement, a determination of the range of movement(e.g. in relation to a particular body part of subject 106), adetermination of the number of sweeps across (all or part of) subject106, a determination of the intensity level, frequency, and/orparticular sound information corresponding to the electromagnetic fieldused, which may vary depending on the position of body 85 or alongdifferent parts of subject 106, and/or other operating conditions ofsystem 10 b. For example, to treat a specific back problem for aparticular subject, raising mechanism 43 may be controlled to start atthe center of the intended area of treatment, and may be subsequentlycontrolled to sweep across a predetermined range of movement, e.g. arange of 10 inches on either side of the center, for a predeterminedperiod or a predetermined number of sweeps, as intended for body 85and/or support body 85 a to provide treatment as prescribed. In someembodiments, control of the operating conditions of system 10 b may beimplemented by a computer program module that is executed by aprocessor. For example, a set of sweeps as described above in relationto a specific back problem may be controlled programmatically by acomputer program module.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method 300 for providing therapy to a subject. Theoperations of method 300 presented below are intended to beillustrative. In certain embodiments, method 300 may be accomplishedwith one or more additional operations not described, and/or without oneor more of the operations discussed. Additionally, the order in whichthe operations of method 300 are illustrated in FIG. 3 and describedbelow is not intended to be limiting.

In certain embodiments, method 300 may be implemented in one or moreprocessing devices (e.g., a digital processor, an analog processor, adigital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuitdesigned to process information, a state machine, and/or othermechanisms for electronically processing information). The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices executing some or allof the operations of method 300 in response to instructions storedelectronically on an electronic storage medium. The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices configured throughhardware, firmware, and/or software to be specifically designed forexecution of one or more of the operations of method 300.

At an operation 302, a body is arranged at or near one or both of asubject and/or a body part of the subject. The body includes twointertwined helically wound runners, and a conductive wire. The runnersare arranged in at least two complete revolutions per runner. The bodyis arranged in a toroidal shape having a centroid. The wire is carriedby the first runner. The wire is spirally wound around the first runner.The wire has two leads configured to be electrically coupled to acurrent source to receive a first current through the wire. In oneembodiment, operation 302 is performed by a user of system 10 (shown inFIG. 2 and described above).

At an operation 304, a current is supplied to the two leads of the wiresuch that an electromagnetic field is created at or near the centroidthat provides therapy to the subject. In one embodiment, operation 304is performed by a current source similar to or substantially the same ascurrent source 11 (shown in FIG. 1 and described above).

Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose ofillustration based on what is currently considered to be the mostpractical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that suchdetail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limitedto the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to covermodifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit andscope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood thatthe present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one ormore features of any embodiment can be combined with one or morefeatures of any other embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for providing therapy to a subject, thesystem comprising: a body including two intertwined helically woundrunners arranged in at least two complete revolutions per runner,wherein the body is arranged in a toroidal shape having a centroid,wherein the centroid is arranged at or near one or both of the subjectand/or a body part of the subject; a first wire spirally wound around afirst runner, wherein the first wire is conductive; and two leads of thefirst wire configured to be electrically coupled with a current sourceto receive a first current through the first wire along the first runnersuch that an electromagnetic field is created at or near the centroidthat provides therapy to the subject.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinthe first wire is spirally wound around the first runner of the bodysuch that the first wire is arranged in a helical shape having an axisthat coincides with the first runner.
 3. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising the current source, wherein the current source is configuredsuch that the first current through the first wire is an alternatingcurrent, wherein the alternating current has a frequency between 0 Hzand 30 kHz, and wherein the alternating current is less than about 250mA.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein the first wire is wound such thatthe first wire forms a bifilar coil around the first runner.
 5. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the first wire is wound such that the firstwire forms a caduceus winding around the first runner.
 6. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising the current source, wherein the currentsource is configured such that a root mean square voltage of less thanabout 1.6 V is supplied to the two leads of the first wire.
 7. Thesystem of claim 6, wherein the current source is configured such that aroot mean square voltage of greater than about 0.25 V is supplied to thetwo leads of the first wire.
 8. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising a second wire spirally wound around a second runner, whereinthe second wire is conductive, wherein two leads of the second wire areconfigured to be electrically coupled with a second current source toreceive a second current through the second wire along the second runnersuch that the electromagnetic field is modified.
 9. The system of claim8, wherein the first current and the second current flow in a similardirection.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first current and thesecond current flow in a dissimilar direction.
 11. The system of claim1, wherein the body forms a passage through the centroid, and whereinthe body is formed such that the passage through the centroid of thetoroidal shape of the body has a diameter between about 1 inch and about4 feet.
 12. A system for providing therapy to a subject, the systemcomprising: a body including two intertwined helically wound runnersarranged in at least two complete revolutions per runner, wherein thebody is arranged in a toroidal shape having a centroid, and wherein thecentroid is arranged at or near one or both of the subject and/or a bodypart of the subject; a first wire carried by a first runner, wherein thefirst wire is conductive, and wherein the first wire is spirally woundaround the first runner to form a first bifilar coil around the firstrunner; a second wire carried by a second runner, wherein the secondwire is conductive, and wherein the second wire is spirally wound aroundthe second runner to form a second bifilar coil around the secondrunner; two leads of the first wire configured to be electricallycoupled to a current source to receive a first current through the firstwire such that an electromagnetic field is created at or near thecentroid, wherein the electromagnetic field provides therapy to thesubject; two leads of the second wire configured to be electricallycoupled to the current source to receive a second current through thesecond wire such that the electromagnetic field is modified; and one ormore resistive elements that are electrically coupled to one or both ofthe first wire and/or the second wire such that a nominal impedance ofthe first wire, the second wire, and the one or more resistive elementshas a predetermined value that substantially matches an impedance of thecurrent source.
 13. The system of claim 12, further comprising thecurrent source, wherein the current source is configured such that thefirst current and second current are alternating currents having afrequency between 0 Hz and about 20 kHz.
 14. The system of claim 13,wherein the two leads of the first wire are electrically coupled tosound signals such that the first current corresponds to the soundsignals.
 15. A system configured to provide therapy to a subject, thesystem comprising: a body including two intertwined helically woundrunners arranged in at least two complete revolutions per runner,wherein the body is arranged in a toroidal shape having a centroid, andwherein the centroid is arranged at or near one or both of the subjectand/or a body part of the subject; a first wire carried by a firstrunner, wherein the first wire is conductive, wherein the first wire isspirally wound around the first runner, and wherein the first wire hastwo leads configured to receive a first current through the first wiresuch that an electromagnetic field is created at or near the centroid ofthe toroidal shape of the body, wherein the electromagnetic fieldprovides therapy to the subject; and one or more processors configuredto execute computer program modules, the computer program modulescomprising: a sound input module configured to obtain sound information;a playback module configured to produce sound signals based on theobtained sound information; wherein the sound signals produced by theplayback module are electrically coupled to the two leads of the firstwire such that the first current corresponds to the sound signals. 16.The system of claim 15, further comprising an amplifier configured toamplify sound signals, the amplifier having an input and an output,wherein the amplifier is arranged such that the sound signals producedby the playback module are electrically coupled to the input of theamplifier, and wherein the amplifier is further arranged such that theamplified sounds from the output of the amplifier are electricallycoupled to the two leads of the first wire.
 17. The system of claim 15,wherein the first wire is spirally wound around the first runner to forma bifilar coil.
 18. The system of claim 15, further comprising one ormore resistive elements that are electrically coupled to the first wiresuch that a nominal impedance of the first wire and the one or moreresistive elements has a predetermined value.
 19. A method for providingtherapy to a subject, the method comprising: arranging a body at or nearone or both of the subject and/or a body part of the subject, the bodycomprising: two intertwined helically wound runners arranged in at leasttwo complete revolutions per runner, wherein the body is arranged in atoroidal shape having a centroid; and a first wire carried by a firstrunner, wherein the first wire is spirally wound around the firstrunner, wherein the first wire is conductive, the first wire having twoleads configured to be electrically coupled to a current source toreceive a first current through the first wire; supplying the firstcurrent to the two leads of the first wire such that an electromagneticfield is created at or near the centroid, wherein the electromagneticfield provides therapy to the subject
 20. The method of claim 19,wherein the first wire is spirally wound around the first runner of thebody to form a bifilar coil around the first runner such that the firstwire is arranged in a helical shape having an axis that coincides withthe first runner.
 21. The method of claim 19, wherein the first currentthrough the first wire is an alternating current, wherein thealternating current has a frequency between 0 Hz and 30 kHz, and whereinthe alternating current is less than about 250 mA.
 22. The method ofclaim 19, wherein the first current is supplied such that a root meansquare voltage of less than about 1.6 V is supplied to the two leads ofthe first wire.
 23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:obtaining sound information; producing sound signals based on theobtained sound information; and electrically coupling the sounds signalsto the two leads of the first wire such that the first currentcorresponds to the sound signals.